One. Deep. Breath.

I’ve been thinking some about breath. About how it feels to take a real, deep, full breath. And when I choose to take the breaths. And how I feel after I take one.
I’ve noticed that we go through life panting. Short, shallow breaths that fill only a quarter or a half of our lungs. Not real breaths.

I’m confident that there is solid physiological research that supports the benefits of One.Deep.Breath.

I got a magnet from a friend and I hung it on my refrigerator. It says, “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” – unknown

It occurs to me I always feel that calm after one deep breath.

I started paying attention to when I take them:
*When my kids are fighting and I feel my cortisol levels rising.
*When I’m almost, but not quite relaxed.
*When I’m feeling out of control – like being in traffic and knowing I’m going to be late.
*When I’m frustrated.
*When I taste something delicious.
*When my husband touches me.
*When my kids cuddle with me.
*When I want to get centered and in touch with the Divine.
*When I want to collect my thoughts.
*When I have something important or difficult to say.
*When I have something to do that I’m nervous about or don’t want to do.
*When I need a pause.

And in turn – I started paying attention to what one deep breath gives me:
*A calm within the storm.
*The ability to release the last bit of stress.
*Perspective that I’m not in control.
*A pause before I lose my temper.
*A slowing so that I can enjoy and savor a delicious moment.
*A centering that I can enjoy intimacy.
*A union with my kids breaths and a releasing of other thoughts so I can just enjoy cuddling.
*Connecting with something bigger than me.
*A calming of the jagged edges that come with feeling scattered.
*The wherewithal to draw from within for hard conversations.
*A calming of nerves.
*A connected, very real, pause to help me stay present.

Meditation can be daunting for people. “I can’t even sit still for a moment, let alone five…” So – what if it is just One. Deep. Breath? And then – what if we strung a few of those deep breaths throughout the day? Moments of calm scattered throughout our days.

I propose that our blood pressure would lower, our heart rates decrease, our focus become centered and our spirits become present. I propose that it is a very real part of helping us ‘be well.’ That One.Deep.Breath is the cool drink of water on our sometimes parched desert roads.